


call it what you want

by lovepaintxxx



Category: NU'EST
Genre: M/M, Modern Royalty, aka the goong x the heirs crossover no one asked for but i wrote bc why tf not, chaebol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2019-11-26
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:35:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21511609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovepaintxxx/pseuds/lovepaintxxx
Summary: amidst the rumors of dongho’s early ascent to the throne and minhyun’s sudden rise as hwang corp’s heir, dongho and minhyun try to make things work.(or the crown prince of south korea and the second son of the country’s most powerful chaebol family are each other’s biggest secret.)
Relationships: Hwang Minhyun/Kang Dongho | Baekho
Comments: 28
Kudos: 106





	1. wonderstruck

dongho knows he should be used to this - the awkward encounters, the fake smiles, and the loneliness that lingers despite being surrounded by close to a hundred people. 

he should know better than to let his anxiety take over, because he’s easy to read. too easy. and he’s been taught at a young age that he should never show any signs of weakness, because a show of weakness would create room for doubt. 

with who he’s meant to be, that’s one of the last things he would want to happen.

his father always told him that having weaknesses was okay, because no one was perfect. there were things he wasn’t going to be good at, and he was bound to make mistakes. and that it was a strength to know his weaknesses, because then, he’d be able to shield himself from them and the people who would want to use them against him.

still, twenty four years don’t seem to be enough for him to get used to the life he would soon be living. because in the middle of a senseless conversation with an old politician trying to gain his favor, trapped in a sea of people whose eyes all seem to be watching his every move, he feels his chest tighten and his head spin. 

“your highness?” the former mayor of seoul says, seemingly noticing his brief lapse.

he takes a deep breath to clear his mind and backtrack on where the conversation was going. 

he immediately puts on his signature smile and says, “i’ll have to coordinate with my advisor. but thank you for the invitation, mr. lee. it was nice meeting you.”

the older man seems satisfied with his response, and they shake hands before ending the conversation and parting ways.

he heaves a small sigh of relief, realizing the many ways that conversation could’ve gone wrong. 

the tightness in his chest is still there, and he knows it isn’t going away anytime soon. but he has to endure a bit longer, even though all he wants to do is go home.

this is just how it is, and this is how it would be for the rest of his life. because in a couple of months, a year earlier than originally planned, he would be crowned as the king of south korea.

this banquet is hosted by the royal family. its guests being the most powerful men and women in the country. and with his father’s worsening condition, he had to takeover. he knows how this works, aside from being taught everything there is to know and do about it, every single year it was held he was there by his mother’s side greeting the guests by the entrance of the palace’s main hall. this time though, he’s the center of it all. people gathering around him, trying to strike up conversations carrying their own personal intentions.

because even though the title was mostly symbolic now, not having the political power it used to hold, the king still had influence. and it’s that influence that draws people to him.

that thought alone makes his skin crawl. the thought that these people see his title before they see him as a person. it’s unnerving, and he knows he should be used to it. but he isn’t. and he doesn’t think he will ever be.

it’s why he’s made it a point to be careful and mindful of the people he lets into his life. it seems pointless, because no matter how hard he tries, he could never separate himself from the title. once he’s crowned, it would be a part of him in every aspect.

he had never bothered trying to date anyone seriously, only settling for short-lived flings that had little to no meaning. because in the end, he had to marry the person chosen for him before he was even born. his life will no longer be his, but it would be owned by the title that he had to constantly guard and protect.

his eyes wander, noting that almost everyone in the hall was familiar to him. which meant that there hasn’t been much of a shift in power in the country, and that these people have literally seen him since he was a child. somehow, that seemed to comfort him a bit, because from what he was taught, the shift would come soon, as the heirs of the companies take their seats and the descendants of the political dynasties run for office. 

he was matching names to faces until he locks eyes with someone he’s sure he’s never seen before. 

they hold each other’s gaze, and before he could even register the sudden change in his heartbeat’s pace, the man from across the hall starts to make his way to him. 

he tries to mentally go through the guest profile list, but he can’t remember seeing a reading a profile of a guest who seems to be the same age as him.

there was something about this man that irks him. because when he’d usually use this time to quickly come up with something to say or think about what the impending conversation would be about, his mind was blank.

suddenly, all he could think about was how, objectively speaking, this man was too handsome for his own good. and that the suit he was wearing clearly accentuated his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs. things he never really noticed or cared about but have clearly clouded his judgement.

the way this man holds his gaze the entire time amuses him, and he realizes too late that an unguarded smile had already reached his face.

up close, he looked even better. and dongho usually is a lot more logical than this, calculating his thoughts and actions before saying or acting anything out. but his gut feeling is telling him to do otherwise.

“your highness.” 

the greeting was paired with a slight bow, and a smile that he knew would only bring him trouble. yet he finds himself still smiling more than he should.

“my father sends his apologies for not being able to make it tonight, but he sends his regards. and he hopes our family would be able to maintain a good relationship with yours.” 

that’s when everything clicks. 

his advisor's assistant had mentioned earlier that night that a guest was suddenly unable to go, but any mention of a representative that would come in his stead must have slipped his mind.

and if his memory serves him right, then the man in front of him is the son of the richest, most powerful man in this country.

“i’m hwang minhyun of hwang corporation. it’s a pleasure to finally meet you, your highness.”


	2. i know places

it’s like they’ve been caught in a whirlwind since that night, with things happening faster than he ever imagined they would. because one thing led to another, and the mutual curiosity that drew them to each other has led them somewhere they never thought they would be.

minhyun thinks they’ve both gone insane, and they probably have. because there they were, in each other’s arms on a king size bed in the penthouse suite of a building right in the middle of gangnam under minhyun’s name.

it’s three in the morning, yet he can’t find it in himself to fall asleep. not when he knows dongho has to leave his side in an hour.

it’s been a month since the banquet at the palace, where the serious banter quickly transitioned to a playful conversation that ended with them making out at a tiny shed at the palace garden. 

minhyun is aware that things have been moving too quickly by his standards, but nothing about what they have seems to be normal anyway. 

because there was no way things would end well for them, they both know that. they jumped head first into this unusual set-up knowing that what lies ahead of them. 

a week into this, the encrypted messages and calls made through a private server, somehow they had decided whatever this is was worth the risk. minhyun knows it’s too short of a time to actually get to know someone, but there was something about dongho that makes him forget about who he is. which sounds crazy considering dongho is the crown prince of this goddamn country. but that’s the simplest way to put how dongho makes him feel into words. 

he remembers watching dongho at the banquet, catching a glimpse of him looking lost and out of focus and witnessing him quickly snap out of it and smoothly end a conversation that was kind of painful to watch. 

he felt something then, a semblance of empathy and understanding mixed with endearment and physical attraction.

minhyun isn’t going to lie. the crown prince was his type — completely, utterly, and definitely his type. 

he was a kind of beautiful minhyun could only describe as godly — with his slightly tanned skin, light brown eyes, and pink lips.

minhyun quickly learned that day that dongho’s lips were as soft as they looked and his eyes were so much prettier up close. 

looking at dongho curled up by his side, he can’t help but wonder how long they’d be able to keep this up. 

there are so many things they want to do together, but the clock is ticking, and there isn’t much time to actually do everything they want to. so they decided to stop overthinking, and simply make the most out of it. just take risks and worry about the repercussions later.

dongho has a courtesy call to the king of thailand in a few days, and minhyun, under the guise of a business trip, would sneak him to a private resort once his schedule ends. a week after that, dongho would bring him to one of the royal family’s summer homes in jeju for a weekend.

it still feels surreal, having dongho in his life like this. and whatever this is could either be the best thing that’s ever happened to him or the biggest mistake of his life.

he looks at dongho’s sleeping figure beside him and delicately combs through his hair with his fingers, surprisingly stirring the usually hard to wake dongho.

“hmm? you’re still awake?” dongho asks, voice soft and laced with sleep.

minhyun fights back the urge to kiss him senseless, “yeah, can’t sleep…”

dongho sits up, moving close enough the hold minhyun’s hand in his. minhyun can’t help but smile at how normal dongho looks. his hair is sticking out in all directions, and minhyun can already see a bit of his five o’clock shadow. but this is what makes him dongho. this is who he is behind the title and the crown, and this is the person who makes minhyun feel like he’s so much more than just the heir of hwang corporation.

months ago, minhyun was set to fly to new york to run one of their subsidiary companies based on the other side of the world. but things took a sudden turn, and now, he’s set to take-over the entire corporation in a couple of months instead of his older sister who initially was the heir of the hwang empire. 

things took a turn when sujin dropped the bomb that turned the tide. his sister was pregnant, and she wanted to be a full-time parent, and she wanted to do things right because it was what a being she was bringing into this world deserves. 

his parents were shocked, but their anger was quick to dissipate. it took minhyun some time to realize what that meant for him though. but the subsequent emergency meetings and crash course lectures served as the wake-up call he needed. 

the past three months were spent whipping him into shape. he had to take over the position his sister had been preparing for all her life, and he had to be ready in half a year. and in three months time, he was taking over entirely. 

he wishes he could say he hates it, so he'd have an excuse to be the rebel son people expect him to be. but he doesn't hate it, not at all. 

it had always been his dream to work for their company. he remembers overhearing his parents' friends talk about how jealous they were that minhyun was willingly following their footsteps. the fact that he liked what he was doing made it easy enough to gain the board of directors' favor, since he's only been good at all the past positions given to him. so the work environment was the least of his problems.

what he hates is the unnecessary public clamor that surrounds him. 

he's been labelled one of the most eligible bachelors in the country, and tabloids have been speculating about his personal life ever since his name made its rounds in the business world. 

he hates it. he hates how he has to be careful. not because he gives a damn about the general public thinks of him, he doesn't care. but the thing is, he has to protect his family, their name and reputation.

he knows it’s the same thing for dongho, and maybe that’s why they clicked so easily. 

that night, the universe brought them together, two lost souls looking for a temporary escape.

one month has felt like years, and minhyun can't help but wonder how things would have been if they weren't who they were. but he isn't a fan of wishful thinking, and neither is dongho. 

for whatever reason, they found solace in each other. and for now, that's enough.

he lifts his palm and places it gently on dongho’s cheek. and dongho melts into his touch. 

"minhyun-ah," dongho says, his light brown eyes steadily holding minhyun's gaze.

"hm?" 

"you're thinking too much again." dongho says, suddenly bridging the gap between them.

dongho's lips are soft, but the way he kisses is anything but. he moves with so much certainty, no hint of tentativeness in the way he captures minhyun's lip between his. 

they both smile into the kiss, hands mapping out familiar planes and curves.

dongho moves even closer, positioning himself on minhyun’s lap and wrapping his legs loosely around minhyun’s waist.

minhyun latches his lips onto dongho’s neck, careful not to leave marks on places that could easily be seen. he peppers kisses down his neck, sucking on a sensitive spot near his collarbone.

minhyun recalls their first kiss on the night of the banquet. they had a couple of drinks shared between them, and he quickly realized that the crown prince was a lightweight. he was literally giggling between hiccups, and minhyun wanted to pocket him and take him home. but as the conversation progressed, something changed. and before he knew it, the crown prince had dragged him outside the hall. and they ended up inside a shed that barely fit both of them, doing things that were definitely inappropriate for where and who they were.

that first kiss was clumsy and awkward. their noses bumped a few times, still unfamiliar with how the other moved. but now, it's as if minhyun knew dongho like the back of his hand. he knows what dongho likes, and that thought alone makes his heart race.

their lips meet again, and this time dongho kisses him like their lives depended on it. there’s a fire in dongho’s eyes. and minhyun let's him take control, letting dongho suck on his tongue and explore his mouth.

they kiss for what feels like hours. their lips only parting briefly to let them catch their breath.

and minhyun. minhyun feels lightheaded, but he lets himself have this, allowing himself to get drunk on a feeling that was never meant to last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi again ;u; 
> 
> thank you for reading! comments are highly appreciated ;;;


	3. out of the woods

everything hurts. 

maybe it's the pain killers wearing off or the realization that in a blink of an eye everything had fallen apart, but he everything fucking hurts, and he doesn't know how it happened. 

he's slowly coming to his senses, and little by little, flashes of that night are coming back to him. 

the dam just burst. and now that the numbness that had been holding everything off is gone, he's hit with a wave of an indescribable kind of pain. 

when he closes his eyes, he could almost relive that moment -- the deafening sound of metal on metal, the windshield shattering right before their eyes, and minhyun screaming out his name.

everything hurts. but the first thing dongho does as soon as he's able to sit up is look for minhyun. 

_ was minhyun okay? where was he? was he... _

he doesn’t realize it immediately, but he’s already crying. the tears are falling uncontrollably, and he’s screaming minhyun's name over and over again.

the pounding in his head multiplies tenfold, and the room's bright white walls and fluorescent lights are just making his headache worse. 

it was a rainy winter night, the last thing he remembers was the sudden change in minhyun's demeanor. they were talking about their upcoming schedules then, his trip to japan and minhyun's trip to singapore. they were driving back to seoul from a quick trip to sokcho, and things had been going well. 

that trip was one of his favorites. they stayed at a small villa owned by minhyun's family. and dongho cooked a simple dinner from the food stocked up in the kitchen for both of them. they shared the meal and a glass of wine by the fireplace. 

dongho hated the cold, but it was a good excuse to get minhyun to hold him in his arms. 

and while nights together usually end up with them making out, things progressing into something more, that night was different. they spent the night just talking. about anything. everything. 

it was coming. his enthronement was. and he's heard from his advisor that there have been convincing leads on the person he was set to marry. 

minhyun knows about this. he had explained this situation at the get-go, so minhyun would know what he's getting into before things got serious. 

dongho’s grandfather had set him up for marriage to his best friend’s grandchild. and dongho is set to marry whoever owned the ring that matched the one on display at the palace's main room that sat by his grandfather's portrait. he’s marrying someone he doesn’t know, and it made no sense, but he respected his grandfather so much, enough for him to put aside the only relationship that allowed him to truly feel like himself. 

minhyun was his oasis. as cliche as it sounds, he knew that, like an oasis, he was only meant to pass minhyun by. no matter how much he wants to stay, he can't, because his journey doesn't end with minhyun. as much as he wants to throw everything away, he can't. 

and it's not because minhyun wasn't enough. he was more than dongho could ever wish to have. but he's scared, because the things at stake were beyond him. he was scared, simply because there was so much uncertainty ahead. 

and he tells minhyun just that, to which he responds by pulling dongho closer, placing a kiss on his forehead, and telling him that he understands. 

music accompanied them the entire night. both of them carefully chose from minhyun’s extensive lp collection. after choosing a slow jazz record, minhyun asked him to dance. 

“why?” he asked, confused by the random request.

he vividly remembers the smile on minhyun’s face, mischievous and melancholic all at once.

“just because, dongho-ya. when else will we get the chance to?”

he could never say no to minhyun anyway, so despite the absurdity of the request, he stood from the couch, taking minhyun’s hand in his and giggling at his awkward curtsy.

there was nothing graceful about the way they danced, with him discovering that minhyun had two left feet. but dongho doesn’t regret it. not one bit. 

it was a memory he’d like to tattoo on his mind and keep close to his heart.

but on the drive back home, in minhyun's lexus with him sleeping in the backseat, he awoke to minhyun asking him if he was wearing his seatbelt. he wasn't. he’d been lying down, covered in two blankets despite the heater being on blast.

when he asked minhyun why, minhyun just shook his head, told him to wear his seatbelt, and stepped on the gas. 

and then it happened.

dongho tries to calm his breathing. 

_ inhale. exhale. inhale. exhale. _

he tries his best to stop the tears, but they continue to fall uncontrollably.

he furiously wipes off them off his face. the tears won’t change anything, is what he tells himself.

he finally gets a bit of his bearings, to inspect his body, only to realize his left arm was in a cast. he tries to stand, but pain just shoots through his right leg, he feels so helpless, and he feels so in every sense of the word.

because he knew things were going to end, but not like this. 

the damage control he thought of was beyond this, and he doesn't even want to think about it any further.

because right now, all he wants to see is minhyun. all he wants to do is hold him in his arms and tell him that maybe what they have is all dongho would ever need. and that maybe, he was ready to let everything go to be with minhyun.

the door opens, and his mother enters the room with the kind of composure only the queen would have at a moment like this. she looks at him with those eyes that tell him more than words would. 

all this time, she had known. dongho wouldn't dare hide anything from her, because one way or another, she would eventually find out. 

"mom? is he…?" 

she sits by his bed, holds his hand in both of hers. her hands are cold, the way they've always been. and it comforts him to know that she would still hold his hand through this. 

he doesn't notice, but he's holding his breath, he needed to know. 

"minhyun is in singapore. he left two days ago. you've been unconscious for four days, dongho-ya." 

he didn't think it was possible for him to hurt even more, but he does. 

because no matter how real it felt, no matter how much he thinks it meant, at the end of the day, minhyun wasn't his to keep. 

minhyun was never meant to stay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> um hi,,, 
> 
> it had been difficult to write this, but this was how i had plotted this fic, and i simply gritted my teeth and stuck with it
> 
> one last chapter left ;; thank you for reading! you can hit me up on twitter (@jbaekmins) if you wanna talk about baekmin or this fic or anything nu’est tbh HAHAHAHA


	4. wildest dreams

wishful thinking was something minhyun never really cared for. it was just that he simply thought it was useless to hope for things that are close to impossible to happen. wishful thinking sets one up for disappointment, and minhyun would rather make decisions based on logic.

it’s just how he had always been. and for years, it worked for him. but the past five years have taught him something he never really imagined he’d learn. 

sometimes, it’s wishful thinking that would help ease the pain. 

because when the person you want to hold the most was at arm’s length but untouchable, all that’s left for you is to think about how things could and would have been, wonder about the what-ifs, and hope that one day you’d get to hold them in your arms again.

minhyun still thinks about that night a lot —that december night those years ago.

he vividly remembers seeing dongho on that hospital bed, bruised and unconscious. he would never forget how his heart dropped, realizing where his decision brought them.

it wasn’t supposed to end that way. but he knew they were being chased, he even caught a glimpse of the cameras, and minhyun was determined to protect dongho as much as he could. but instead, he hurt him more than he could ever imagine. 

he made his decision then. at the time, he knew it was the right decision to make. dongho’s enthronement was a less than a month away. and minhyun wanted to be selfish and keep dongho as close as he could, but he simply couldn’t stand possibly being the reason why things work out for dongho. 

so he did all he could to sweep everything under the rug, to shut everyone up that could speak of what happened. it was the least he could do. it was all he could do.

meeting dongho’s mother at the hospital the day after the crash was more than nerve wracking. it wasn’t like he wasn’t hurt either. he was, cuts and bruises littered his body. but he was wearing his seatbelt, and dongho wasn’t. and that made all the difference.

he expected her to scream at him, to vent out angrily. but instead, she looked at him, hugged him, and said, “it’s okay, minhyun. he’ll be okay.”

it was their first time meeting, and minhyun was so overwhelmed that he burst into tears, muttering out broken apologies over and over again.

that night, before he left, he visited dongho one last time. minhyun would never forget watching dongho’s eyes flutter open, as he drifted in and out of unconsciousness. it hurt, knowing his mistake was what caused this. that one wrong nudge of the wheel in that slippery road. 

he kissed dongho’s forehead and bid him goodbye. 

the past five years have been filled with tension-filled encounters they couldn’t avoid.

all he wants is to hold dongho in his arms again, but he knows once wouldn’t be enough. once he gets the chance to hold him again, he would never be able to let him go. and that’s not something he can afford. 

so he settles for this, watching dongho from across the hall the same way he did five years ago, the same way he’s been doing the past five years at the banquets at the grand palace.

dongho still looks the same. still as stunning as ever, that slight awkwardness never leaving him though. and all minhyun wants to do his kiss him the way he used to.

“you’re staring at him again, hwang.” 

he nods, not bothering to look away from dongho who’s in the middle of conversing with some government official. 

“yeah, so? it’s all i can do at this point, minki.”

minki pats his shoulder, a gesture of comfort which he accepts with a faint smile.

“i know, but aren’t you even going to try to talk to him properly? at the very least close this chapter in your lives or something?”

minki has been asking him about that since he found out about them a few days after the accident. at first minki was confused, then slightly angry at him for not saying anything about it, then just… sad for him.

minki has been his closest friend since he was 6. minki was the son of the ceo of a subsidiary company of hwang corp. and literally the only friend he can trust.

“i don’t think i can handle talking to him without wanting to try to win him back. and… winning him back isn’t exactly an option now.” 

minhyun’s eyes find themselves trained on dongho again. 

the way he could spot dongho in a crowded room with so much ease is a result of years of just watching him from afar. 

it’s pitiful at this point, how he still can’t move on from what they had. it should be easy, what are three months right? 

but he’s an idiot who’s still caught up in feelings that have already gone stale, reliving the moments that once felt like they were untouchable. 

he’s tried everything. he went on a two-month trip around europe. thinking that being in a completely different environment would help him forget, but he still went back to his apartment remembering every piece of dongho that lingered in it. so he tried living in a different place, and it helped for a while until he saw dongho again at the royal family’s annual banquet. he even tried dating and sleeping around. but every single time he’s left on the other side of the bed, he only feels lonelier.

the void dongho filled then left only grows as the years go by. and that in itself sounds borderline crazy, and maybe it is.

but that’s just how it is, and that’s how he feels.

and no matter how hard he wishes or to whoever god he prays to, he will never be that person in holding onto dongho’s arm — the person who everyone envies. the king’s betrothed. 

because he and dongho, they were only running on borrowed time. 

the last grain of sand had fallen years ago. 

but minhyun just can’t seem to let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote this almost like a challenge to myself, thinking that i should at least finish something this year. and although short, i hope you enjoyed this fic! 
> 
> thank you for reading until here! ;;

**Author's Note:**

> hi,,, 
> 
> 47373636 unfinished wips later, here I am with another fic fjdjdj fear not, I only have one chapter left to write on this one so this will be completed ;u;
> 
> thank you for reading! comments are highly appreciated ❤️


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